World Series Game 2: Astros vs Dodgers Recap

I felt like I just played MLB The Show 17 watching this fucking game.  Like seriously this was a ridiculous game and I can’t believe what happened.  Tons of late game heroics, back and forth scoring, extra innings, great pitching this game had it all.  The Astros were able to take one from the Dodgers at home and head to Houston all tied up 1-1. The Astros somehow took this game 7-6 in 11 innings of baseball in such a battle in Los Angeles and I am still stunned the morning after writing this piece.  The Verlander-Hill matchup did not disappoint, and the hitting came alive and like I had said after the Game 1 recap it would be offense that would decide this game and future games.  

Well, all I can say is the Astros brought the offense and they brought a lot of it.  They put up 7 runs on 14 hits and scored 6 of their runs in the 8th inning through the 11th inning.  To score your runs while not leading that late in the game on the road is big for not only the win that night, but the confidence of the bats for the future.  This could be the spark that the Astros have been looking for to get their offense rolling again.  Verlander had a solid start, the only two hits he allowed in his 6 innings of work were 2 big flies.  A 2-run homer by Corey Seager, who has come up huge in this World Series so far, and a solo homer for the first run of the game by Joc Pederson.  Other than that Verlander pitched a great game.  He struck out 5 and only let up 3 runs in 6 innings which is what you need out of your starter.  You can’t expect a starter to hold a team to 1 or 0 runs in the World Series, it’s just tough to do.  The bullpen pitched great up until struggling Closer, Ken Giles, came in and in the 10th let up a solo dinger to Yasiel Puig and an RBI single to Enrique Hernandez to blow another save on the year.  I will get to the craziness in just a moment because there is a lot to highlight.

The Dodgers got good pitching from starter Rich Hill who went only 4 innings letting up 1 run on 3 hits and striking out 7.  The bullpen was a disaster letting up 6 runs in late game situations blowing all types of runs and innings making it so much harder for the Dodger offense.  The Dodgers scored more runs than they had hits, which is the funny part of this whole thing.  They were able to score 6 runs on 5 hits, 4 of those hits via the home runs by Puig, Pederson, Seager, Culberson.  Now it’s time to get to the video game moments this game had.

To put you in the moment, the Dodgers were up 3-1 heading into the 8th inning and they let up a run bringing the score to 3-2, so they bring on Kenley Jansen for a hard 6 out save.  If I were the manager I probable would have done the same thing as Jansen, who is an absolute stud of a closer and probably the best in the NL, would be able to get me 6 outs. Jansen got out of the 8th with no harm, but the Dodgers were not able to give him any cushion for the 9th.  Top 9 first batter, Marwin Gonzalez, hits a solo homerun to tie the game and blown save goes to Jansen.  Jansen finishes the inning, Ken Giles holds down the 9th inning and we are headed to the 10th 3-3 in the ballgame.  Top of the 10th inning to lead off the inning, Jose Altuve hits a homerun and the Astros take the lead 4-3 lead, but the Astros aren’t done.  Correa comes up as the next batter and he goes back to back making it 5-3 after the top of the 10th.  Astros are surely going to win right? Wrong.  In the bottom of the 10th, Ken Giles on for a 6 out save, and with one out in the inning he lets up a solo homerun to Yasiel Puig and it’s 5-4.  Then Hernandez singles with two on and ties it up 5-5, Giles with the blown save.  Astros escape the 10th and we head to the top of the 11th.  Cameron Maybin pinch hits and comes up with a clutch lead off single.  Then steps into the box George Springer.  Springer gets a ball over the plate and launches it 389 ft and the Astros take a 7-5 lead.  Dodgers get the following 3 outs and we head to the bottom of the 11th with the game on the line for Los Angeles.  2 outs in the 11th and Charlie Culberson launches a solo homerun making it 7-6.  Puig steps up and is retired and the Astros hold on to win it in 11.

Unbelievable game played by both sides, couldn’t be more excited for a World Series game.  We are headed back to Houston for 3 games and I cannot wait to see what Game 3 has in store if Game 2 was any indication of how the series will be.  It will be a fun one in the Fall Classic.

Written by Nick Kazandjian